The gunman then fled in a car with two other men, the police said.

Intissar Allawi, a relative of Iyad Allawi, said Jarallah's killing was politically motivated. "These are independent and national people who are targeted to prevent them from standing in the general election," she stated.

Campaigning for the delayed poll is set to begin on February 12. The election was originally scheduled to be held in January, Rohama reported.

Allawi was provisionally appointed premier by Washington in June 2004 and held the post for just under a year.